Mozzarella-Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Hi everyone!
Happy hump day! Friday is in sight!
I’ve been on a low-carb, grain-free kick lately. So of course, what is the one thing I crave all the time? Carbs. Pasta. Bread.
So I wanted to brainstorm a healthy version of a carb-o-loaded dish. What’s the first dish that came to mind?
A big ol’ bowl of spaghetti.
And after a handful of experiments for creative ways to make healthy spaghetti, it’s finally hit me.
What does a big bowl of spaghetti need?
MEATBALLS.
But these aren’t just any meatballs. These are cheese stuffed. Yes, mozzarella stuffed, flavorful awesomeness.
AWESOMENESS.
The title is a mouthful, but don’t let that scare you. These little babies are easy to cook up!
Mozzarella-Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground chicken breast
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 red pepper
- 1/2 white onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. Italian herb blend (I also used some fresh basil from my herb garden!)
- a few pinches of salt and pepper
- 4 part-skim mozzarella string cheese sticks, cut into cubes (4 cubes/stick)
- grated parmesan cheese for topping
- Preheat oven 400*F and grease muffin tins.
- Mince onion and pepper (I did a few quick pulses in my food processor).
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except for the string cheese. I used my hands to mix!
- Place 1 small spoonful of the meatball mixture into the palm of your hand, and press down lightly to form a small circle.
5. Place one cube of cheese in the center and top with another small spoonful of the meatball mixture.
6. Press edges down with your fingers and roll lightly between the palms of your hands to maintain the circular shape. Place one meatball in each muffin well.
7. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and bake for 25-30 min.
Putting cheese on top of anything make it a bazillion time better
Serve with zucchini pasta (aka shredded zucchini) and top with pasta sauce. I love Muir Glen Organic!
nighttime photo shoots = orangey-tinted photos
there’s a better picture!
Makes 18 meatballs, or 6 servings.
Per serving: 181 calories, 4g carbs, 8g fat, 24g protein
Protein packed, flavor-filled. YUM!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
xoxox, K
Tar Heel 4 Miler & a Slumber Party
Good morning friends!
I hope you’re having a wonderful start to your week. I’ve spent mine recuperating from my awesome weekend!
What a whirlwind! Early Saturday morning Kyle and I ran the Tar Heel 4 miler. Every year, UNC hosts the Tar Heel 10 and 4 milers. This event is the largest race in Chapel Hill–which Kyle and I quickly found out from all the traffic that morning! But we made it to the starting line just as the announcer began to count down 30 seconds ’til we began.
quick pic before we start!
It was our first race together!
and we’re off
My knees have been acting up lately and as luck had it, I forgot my knee braces when we woke up at 5:30AM. So Kyle and I jogged a steady pace and finished in just under 50 minutes. But just as we crossed the finish line, the lead runner for the 10 miler crossed with us! Meaning, that speed demon ran 5 min. per mile. HOLY GUACAMOLE!
but it’s no big deal for us cool kids
It was a great race with my favorite racing buddy. Kyle kept me motivated and distracted me from wanting to quit by talking about the architecture of the houses as we jogged through old Chapel Hill neighborhoods. What a nerdy little love. 
At the finish line, we met up with my roommate Rachel, her Boyfriend Matt and his mom. Everyone was excited to be done!
#TarHeel10Miler #TarHeelNation
Afterwards, Kyle and I made the trip back to Raleigh and feasted on some protein pancakes. Look at that beauty! That may have been my first nicely-flipped protein pancake. #victory!
After saying bye to my favorite running buddy, I headed home for a long hot shower and short nap. Then it was time to meet up with my best friends from college for a girls night and slumber party! (Note: you are never too old for a slumber party!) Japanese food, wine, and David Tutera’s My Fair Wedding were all involved 
The next morning I woke up early to cook the girls a goat cheese and spinach frittata. For winging the recipe, it turned out really yummy!
Creamy, tangy goat cheese paired with pretty much anything else is a match made in heaven. In this case it was spinach, with a side of turkey bacon and some fresh fruit. Delish.
My girls are all spread out across NC and one lives up in DC (hi Chels!! ). So before everyone went home, we walked the pretty trails of Lake Johnson to finish off any more girl talk we missed from the night before.
Nothing like a quick jump in the lake…goofs
It was one of the best weekends I’ve had in Raleigh so far.
I LOVE my friends.
I LOVE that I’m eating clean and exercising right again.
And I LOVE that I’ve found the time to blog again.
Happy Tuesday peeps!
xoxo, K
Look for the Helpers #prayforboston
Last night as pictures, posts and tweets of the Boston Marathon explosions filled my social media feeds, I came across a very inspiring article.
If you are losing hope in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.
Take the 5 minutes out of your morning to read it–it’s worth it.
It’s easy to look at a horrible event like the Boston Marathon explosions, and completely lose faith in our fellow companions. What terrible person could do such a thing–nonetheless, think up and plan such a thing?
But even in the midst of tragedy, there are signs all over the place that America is reaching out. Moving into action. Holding out a helping hand to those in need. Just check your facebook newsfeed. Prayers are being prayed. Blood drives are being set up. Donations are being sent. It gives me a renewed faith that shines through this dark cloud.
A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. -John 1:5
I hope this post reminds you that there are still caring people in this world. Just look for the helpers.
<3
K
Simply Stuffed Peppers
Good morning friends!
First of all–let’s just state the obvious. IT’S FRIDAY!
WAHOO! AWESOME! I’M-SO-FREAKIN’-EXCITED!
With Spring time rollin’ into NC, I have had a pretty awesome week. Any week that brings sunshine, warm air and flowers is a wonderful week.
I don’t need the huge clouds of pollen. But I’m loving the spring flowers!
So, new-to-me this week has been some fun early morning exercise classes at my gym [more to come on that later...] and a yummy experiment in my kitchen.
I give you…
Heart-shaped red peppers are the yummiest!
Simple, cheesy, low-carb, high-protein stuffed peppers. All in about 30 minutes. BAZINGA!
Stuffed Bell Peppers
- 3 bell peppers, any color
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey
- 1 T EVOO
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 1/2 lb. white mushrooms, chopped
- 2 T reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- a few shakes of Italian herb blend
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used part-skim mozz)
- 6 slices of cheese (I used lite white cheddar from TJ’s..SO good!)
- Preheat oven to 350*.
- Place a skillet over medium-high heat and add EVOO, turkey, onions, mushrooms, soy sauce and garlic.
- While they begin to brown, halve and de-seed the peppers. Line on a baking sheet to be filled.
- While the meat “stuffing” is cooking, add a few shakes of italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
- When browned, drain and place in a large bowl. Stir in shredded cheese–just long enough to let the cheese melt slightly.
- Fill the peppers with the mixture. Stuff those babies!
- Place one cheese slice on top of each stuffed pepper.
- Bake for 20 minutes and the broil for 1-2 minutes more, keeping an eye on the peps so they don’t burn.
- And finally…ENJOY!
6 Servings (each pepper half): 250 cal, 7g carbs, 14g fat, 26g protein
YUM!! The combo of soy sauce and italian herbs may seem odd–but it works. You’re mouth will thank you. They are simple to throw together and can even be eaten like a little taco. Anything that can be eaten like a taco gets bonus foodie points in my recipe book.
Are you a fan of bell peppers?
It took me a while to get used to the taste, but now I love them. They are always a staple on my grocery list!
Inspired by all the springtime colors and blooms, I stopped by Lowe’s this afternoon–so I’ll be spending my weekend planting some of these pretties…
Well, happy Friday!
<3
Color Mania 5K
I have had pink hair for about a week.
Cloud-O-Color
This weekend I ran the Color Mania 5K in Cary with some good friends. We ran through clouds of pink, green, orange, yellow and red. Almost every half mile, volunteers dumped colored powder ALL OVER US. I mean…poured, flung, chucked…powder at us!
I ended up with powder in my ears, mouth, eyes, toes…holy moly…
Check out those color lines. But despite the the-dyed everything, I had a blast! If you ever do a color run, be sure to bring your friends and be prepared to eat colored powder. And most importantly, be prepared post-run with towels, old sheets, or trashbags to line your car seats. Otherwise, you’ll end up like us. In ponchos we found in our trunks.
What have your adventures been like lately?
I’ve begun to take to morning exercise classes at my gym. Those 5AM wake up calls are a little painful…but the feeling after a good booty-kickin’ workout is totally worth it. So is some blueberry oatmeal post-workout-class-craziness.
Blueberry oatmeal with nuts. and cinnamon. Disregard my collection of grapefruits at my desk.
Have a good morning!
xoxox,
K
Bazinga
For a while, I thought I had created the word Bazinga. You know…it could have come to me in some kinda ninja-booty kickin’ dream. Hence the reason why I want to karate chop something when I say it.
Just try it.
BAZINGA.
Makes you want to karate chop something…right?
Ok, maybe it’s just me.
So when I set out to create a spicy lettuce wrap–this is the only word I could think of to describe it. They’re spicy, tangy, crunchy and healthy.
BAZINGA.
Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Wrap
- 1 lb. ground turkey (I’ve used chicken too, and it works just as well!)
- 1 small can of water chestnuts, drained
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves rinsed and patted dry
- 1 small bunch of scallions, chopped
- 2-3 bell peppers, chopped
Sauce
- 6-8 TBS Ponzu sauce
- Squirt of Sriracha (more or less, depending on how
bazingaspicy you like it) - 1 clove garlic, minced
- Brown meat over medium-high heat. Add water chestnuts, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute longer.
- While the meat is cooking, I like to chop my scallions and peppers. You can really add any veggie you like on your wrap…you can even add the peppers in with the meat if you like them cooked.
- While the turkey and water chestnuts are still warm, arrange the meat on the lettuce “cups” and top with peppers and scallions. Drizzle with the the ponzu-sriracha sauce and enjoy!
This makes 4 servings, and each serving makes 2-3 lettuce wraps.
Per Serving: 230 Calories, 16g carbs, 8g fat, 26g protein
These wraps are spicy little pockets of crunchy yumminess. And they are healthy.
BAZINGA.
((After a quick google search, I learned I may or may not have gotten it from this show. For now, let’s just roll with this ninja/dream/karate chop idea…))
Are you a fan of spicy food?
I can’t get enough of it!
Happy Hump day y’all!
xoxox, K
Gettin’ Back in the [healthy] Game
Hi Peeps! (Pun intended. I think I ate my body weight in peeps this weekend… I have no shame. )
I hope you had a wonderful Easter that was filled with laughs and lots of love. I spent mine with my family in Charlotte.
Uncle Stan, Hayden and Zach at my end of the table
My weekend was filled with lots of family time, which is exactly what I needed! Since beginning my first big girl job, 3 hours away from my family, it’s been a hard adjustment into the real world. Hence, the blog divorce that’s been going on since October.
But I’m finally settled in and ready to get back into the swing of things. After a little health scare that turned out to be nothing major, I am SO ready to begin exercising my booty off. I’ve joined a gym up here in Raleigh and have signed up for a few 5K races to get me feeling good. There is a triathlon I have my eye on that I am considering participating in this May. It’s a sprint triathlon–the Ramblin’ Rose–that would be a good intro to my first Tri.
Have you ever participated in a Tri? What are your thoughts?
Well since both the Birthday Fairy and the Easter Bunny have visited me this past week, I have had my fill of sweets.
Oh Easter Bunny–you know me too well…
It feels so good to back into the swing of things. Bikini season here I come!
xoxo,
Kath
